Cain Velasquez is truly a force to be reckoned with. He attained the UFC heavyweight title last October, defeating the massive and dangerous man known as Brock Lesnar.
Learning from Shane Carwin’s shot at Lesnar, Cain intelligently picked his shots to avoid gassing himself. Cain’s stamina is immense, but he still made sure his shots counted. He used his strength to stay off the mat, and ended up overpowering the former WWE star.
Cain is currently holding a statistic that is very rare in the UFC and in MMA in general. He is undefeated in his career inside the Octagon. With that, his run hasn’t been a short one either. Nine wins in a row has landed him at the top of the heap, and made him the first Mexican UFC champion.
When defining an MMA champion, one has to look at a few factors. By sheer numbers, the opponents they fought play a role, as well as the means in which they came out victorious.
Beyond the arena, fans and critics alike look at a fighter’s character and demeanor to determine if they act like a champion. Lastly, after winning the title many believe that in order to be considered a true champion, they must defend their title at least once.
Cain’s only flaw in this equation and criteria is a title defense. He will have the opportunity to prove he deserves to have the belt around his waist at the UFC on FOX debut. He will be facing Junior Dos Santos, a devastating fighter with incredible boxing skills.
With nine straight wins, six of which were first round finishes, Cain makes a statement that is very impressive for any professional fighter. In fact, only one of his victories has come by decision, and that was to Cheick Kongo back in 2009. Everything else has ended from his fists.
As far as opponents, having finishes over Lesnar, Nogueira, Rothwell and Jake O’Brien is a great testament to his relativity to the division. He still has many challenges ahead of him, especially with the addition of Alistair Overeem. But next he will face JDS to add another very reputable name to his repertoire.
His character and overall personality are also very humble. Where he wins fans with his fights, he wins them over with himself sometimes as well. He remains focused and determined, and rarely bashes the other opponents.
He takes pride in his heritage, and feeds off it and his supporters. He dons the “Brown Pride” across his chest and carries the flag with him as well, wrapped around his right hand. Very appropriate, since as mentioned before, it is his hands that are what has gotten him to where he is.
Due to his injuries, he has been sidelined for a year, but with his power and strength fueled by motivation, he should be one of the few to show real signs of ring rust. A strong wrestler, he knows not the meaning of taking it easy and always prepares himself for his endeavors.
Aside from yet attaining a title defense, Velasquez most certainly meets many of the standards people set for Champions. He will be fighting on one of the most historic nights that the UFC will put into the history books.
With the biggest television deal and the biggest belt class, comes two of the biggest heavyweights in the sport, ready to show the world why they believe they are the number one heavyweight in the world.
EPISODE FOUR of “Defining a Champion” Series: Cain Velasquez
What do YOU think is Velasquez’s defining factors that makes him a champion? Please leave your answers and why in the Comments Section below.
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